FEATURE THE ULTIMATE TEST
The Ultimate Test
Jasper De Jaeger, Technical Services Manager at UNILIN, explains how the company has developed its own, more accurate water-resistance tests for laminate, to ensure its products can withstand the strains of everyday life.
The flooring industry has no generally accepted standards for the water resistance testing of floating floors yet. Although the swelling test is commonly used to measure the water resistance of laminate, new standards are coming up for discussion. The only relevant tests are those performed after installation. Only if an installed floor – including joints, bevels, perimeters etc. – proves itself impermeable, can we speak of a truly waterproof laminate floor.
Continuously innovating, UNILIN has developed its own watertightness tests to guarantee that its laminate floors are fully waterproof. Based on extensive research and experience, we’ve developed three types of analyses to test an installed laminate floor: a mop test, a water cylinder test and a real- life test. That way, we’re testing our products in a relevant, standardised and consistent manner.
Mop Test
One way to test whether an installed laminate floor is watertight is through a mop test. This lab test consists of covering the installed floor with wet mops for 14 hours. We don’t just use water, but also add soap. This makes for a more rigid trial, as soap reduces the water’s surface tension. Then, we assess. Is water seeping through the joints? Is there any surface damage or swelling?
Measurement and inspection tell us whether the floor has passed or failed. After the floor has been exposed to water for 24 hours, we also perform a rolling caster chair test, again
48 | Tomorrow’s Retail Floors putting the watertightness to the test.
Cylinder Test An equally strict, if not a stricter, evaluation of a floor’s water resistance is UNILIN’s cylinder test. By placing a cylinder on the T-shaped connections of installed floorboards and filling it with water and soap, the bevels and installation quality are put to the test. After 4, 12 or even 24 hours, swelling is measured and assessed. So far, we’ve never seen an increase of over 0.05 mm. In addition, the permeability of all points of contact is analysed. And we’re also testing with other fluids than water and soap – e.g. wine and pet urine – but our floors still score equally well.
Reality Check
UNILIN’s real-life trial was developed to test floors in actual situations: a leaking washing machine, a spilled drink, a urinating pet, etc.
Analyses like the standard swelling test aren’t relevant to the end customer because they don’t test installed floors in real- life circumstances.
Our real-life test does. What if you’re bathing the children and they won’t stop splashing? What if you knock over a vase? At UNILIN, we test our floors in all these situations and many more. In this way, our customers can be certain that they’re choosing a waterproof laminate floor.
www.unilin.com/en www.tomorrowsretailfloors.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50
